The UK Sonar Class Nationals, held over the weekend of the 12-13th October at the Island Sailing Club, Cowes, brought together 10 competitive teams with almost every condition you could imagine.

Competitors entered the weekend expecting the racing to struggle with a lack of breeze showing in the forecast with risk of no racing. Saturday came through to show one of the best days you could wish for racing with starting in light winds increasing with the boats sailing at their limits.

The fleet often does a lot of around the cans racing in events like Cowes Week but went back to the organisers went back to the more transitional windward leeward courses which everyone enjoyed.

The RO Richard Palmer and his team did a fantastic job with everyone spreed across the start lines and managed to keep up with the troubling wind shifts through out all the races with only a couple of tiny delays.

Due to the forecast on the Sunday we ran the maximum off 4 races on the Saturday, which was a long day for many of our teams on the water.

Racing was heavily fought for, all positions with every race able to flip the results keeping the racing very tense.

Andrew Cassell Foundations (ACF Dolphin) skipper by Matt Grier with a mixed crew which included completely blind and partially deaf and a crew member with Autism and dyspraxia tendencies just to name a few, took the lead in the first 2 races getting settle the quickest but as the breeze increased the more experienced heavy wind team in Bertie (multiply Cowes Week Winners) skipper by Richard Bailey took the lead powering through to end day on on equal points.

Followed by ACF Limbitless, skipper by Laurence Greenough, a single above knee amputee (since 10 years old) where another crew member also had a single above knee but recent within the last 2 years sailed an impressive consistent regatta coming 3rd in close 3rd in every race.

Sunday stuck to the pre forecast of super light winds with 1 race of 6 not being sailed.

The fleet behind was tight with places being challenged and changing all the time.

The is a truly inclusive fleet show casing very mixed teams racing with competitive ISC teams who compete all year around in the ISC Tuesday night series. ACF boats who train all year around with mixed disabilities adding to the above in ‘ACF Spare Part’ having members with cerebral palsy, brain injuries and dyspraxia. And finally, all who compete in Cowes Week all coming from a mixed level of racing experience from the top end to very novice.

Special thanks must go to the Island Sailing Club and teams for hosting the regatta, and the UK Sonar Team who are working hard in the background to keep the class alive and re-growing.

As we aim to encourage more opportunities to for those who love racing in these boats, please do check out the class website for events being create for 2025. Https://uksonar.teamapp.com/

 

The prize giving ended with a lovely send off by the ISC and the overall results are as follows;

1st – Bertie (Richard Bailey) – Rollesby Broad S.C.

2nd – ACF Dolphin (Matt Grier) – Andrew Cassell Foundation / CCYC

3rd – ACF Limbitless (Laurence Greenough) – Andrew Cassell Foundation / CCYC

4th – Wisconsin (H) (Richard Cornah) – ISC

5th – Hibscus (G) (Ian Margham) – ISC

6th – Discovery (D) (Tim Sinclair-Wilson) – ISC

7th – ACF Spare Part (Mark Matthews) - Andrew Cassell Foundation / CCYC

8th – Fiscal (J) (Andy Blizzard) – ISC

9th – Miscreant (A) (Sam Petty) – Sussex Yacht Club

10th – Discard (F) (Brian Charlesworth) – ISC

Full detailed results in photos and attached to this article online.
Photo credits – ACF Volunteers

Location

70 High St, Cowes PO31 7RE, UK